Loved the vibe! Entering through a freezer door was great! Staff was very friendly. Air conditioning wasn’t working, so we only stayed for one drink. Clever names for drinks, but for $16 a drink I wasn’t overly impressed.
Very cool little place. I like the idea of walking through a freezer door. The staff was very friendly and the drinks were great. The only uncomfortable part was that they are dealing with air conditioning issues. But totally worth it if you don't mind.
The entrance is a good one through the freezer door of the functioning ice cream shop in the front.The decor inside could use a little work but had a space feel to match the menu.My wife and I are huge cocktail people, always seeking out speakeasy’s and the most unique cocktails. That being said, these were some of the best drinks we’ve had in a long time, using uncommon ingredients. Get Galaxy Lords if you want something you probably will never find elsewhere. Bartender was super knowledgeable and fun to talk to about the ingredients used.If I were a local I would return to try the rest of the menu. Collectively, our group had about half the menu and everything was delicious.
Such a cool vibe, staff was so friendly. Worth checking out just for fun. However, we had the Space Ninja and the Phantom Planet and they weren’t great.Space Ninja was very sweet and Phantom Planet was way too boozy, I didn’t get any of the other flavors coming through. A little expensive for sub par drinks but definitely fun to check out.
My husband and I love visiting speakeasies, and we make a point to do so every time we visit a city. When we looked for the best speakeasies in Denver, Retrograde topped the list. We visited on a Friday night around 815pm and waited half an hour or so to get in, which wasn't bad at all. The atmosphere is amazing, and the entrance through the freezer door in an ice cream shop is one of the best we've seen. However, the drinks are awful. Like worse than any $4 rail drink I've ever had at a dive bar. I got the Bikini Girls v Dinosaurs, which tasted like a flat mojito without the lime. My husband got the Alien Apocalypse, and he said it tasted like one of those wax-paper wrapped maple Halloween candies. He couldn't even finish his. For $16 drinks, we obviously expected much more. We went to Williams and Graham the following evening, and they were worlds better. If you're looking for a good speakeasy in Denver, go there instead.
Awesome concept, speakeasy behind a freezer door ?Went on Fri nite 4/1.Make sure you go and turn the light switch on to add your name to the list! Line of people waiting likely already put their name already.(+) Props to my man Josh who was the gatekeeper to this speakeasy, who kept calm cool and collected despite the many people who would come in and out. I found his ability to keep track on high tech pen & paper impressive and even helped out taking our order when we got inside. His estimated wait time for our party of 3 was on point (45min-ish) ?Cozy scene & seats. Quaint. 1 bathroom.Fun cocktail names, got The Phantom Planet.(-) Looked great but yikes, that drink was not very enjoyable sad to say. I love me a good old fashioned but this was too heavy on the alc. Maybe some people like that if they wait and pay for $16 drink, but I usually like to enjoy the flavors they mentioned on the menu ??♂️. Unfortunately took away frm the experience for me.I'd definitely be willing to come back to try again, (maybe it was just that night) because overall such a cool lil spot ?
Hidden behind frozen matter through a hidden entrance. Went with a group of 7 friends. That was a squeeze for them but they figured it out. I wouldn't go with any group larger than 6 or 7. They are build for 1, 2, 3,4 but it's a small place.(Which isn't a bad thing). They made us incredible drinks. And our female bar tender was to die for! Friendly, funny, and gracious. Will go back.
Quite literally a hidden gem! It took a moment to realize I had to knock on the freezer door in the back of Frozen Matter, and worth it. I arrived fairly early, around 5:30pm on Friday evening, so there was not a long wait after just opening their door. We were sat at a table just big enough for our visit. The cocktail combinations are extremely creative and makes you wish you could go home with a bucket of it. While delicious, it was a big out of my price range to stay for more than two $16 drinks that are easy to finish in a few sips. The ambiance is awesome, the service is great and the space is so intimate and desired that it made sense to see a line out the ice cream shop to get in. One challenge is that the bathroom is located outside the freezer door, so plan to use it ahead of entering, or after you finish so you don’t have to wait to get back in.
This was fun! Cody, ( @uselessbartender on @instagram) introduced @aliceferris and I to some of the most creative cocktails We’ve had since the “before times.” @retrograde is an awesome little #speakeasy bar hidden behind a walk-in freezer door at @frozenmatter ice cream. #goalbustersworldtour #denver #mixology #bartender
Feeling like you are exhausting in the prohibition era you walk into an active ice cream shop to go through a freezer door to the magical wonders that is The Retrograde. Exquisite drinks, bursting with flavor and originality. Will definitely go here again